Cell adhesion to extracellular matrix is an important physiological stimulus for organization of the Actin-based cytoskeleton. Adhesion to the matrix glycoprotein Thrombospondin 1 triggers the sustained formation of F-Actin microspikes that contain the Actin-bundling protein Fascin. These structures are also implicated in cell migration, which may be an important function of Thrombospondin 1 in tissue remodelling and wound repair. Fascin bundles Actin microfilaments within dynamic cellular structures such as microspikes, stress fibers and membrane ruffles. Fascin could serve as a prognostic factor for abnormal ovarian epithelial pathology and could be a novel target for the treatment of ovarian cancer. Fascin, an Actin-bundling protein, identifies dendritic cells in the blood and in tissues.
